Irish Independent - Cup Final preview. - 23 Oct 03

Colm Foley v Eric Lavine
LAVINE and Foley always have intriguing tussles and should they tangle once more on Sunday, this could be one of the crucial match-ups on the day with Lavine's guile and skill testing all the reserves of Foley's strength and industry.

Since arriving from Galway, Lavine has been much coveted and Derry City had a bid turned down by Longford during the close season.

His ability to hold up the ball and link with his team-mates is crucial to Town's gameplan, although his scoring record could be better.

Foley is a bedrock of the Saints' defence, combining pace and strength with intelligent positioning. A potent weapon at corners too, backing up Paul Osam when Pat's go for the far post option.

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It's too close to call for Kerr
IT'S a very evenly-matched game for me. Both teams are set up in a similar fashion, they share reasonably similar styles and the managers share a lot of the same qualities as well.

I have a lot of admiration for Longford Town and what they have achieved in a short space of time, considering they were bottom of the First Division just a few short years ago.

It's been a difficult act for Alan Matthews, having to follow in Stephen Kenny's footsteps but he's coped very well with the challenge and reaching two Cup finals is an excellent return for him.

St Pat's haven't been playing well in recent games and it's difficult having the Cup smack-bang in the middle of the regular run of games, I don't quite know what that's all about. They've shown admirable fighting qualities in their Cup matches so far but I'm sure that we'll see a lot of football from both sides even though the perception may be otherwise.

I hope the atmosphere is conducive to a good game. Sometimes it can be difficult when you're playing in a large venue and the crowd may seem diminished because of that.

Verdict: I don't want to go out of my way and opt for one side or the other but obviously I'd love Pat's to win given my connection with the club.

Brian Kerr
Expert View

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